Book 23 Chapter 6

500,000 Niang Competition

-Humans don't

Early morning.

I was walking up a rugged mountain path on Hengshan Mountain, the southern peak of the Zhongyuan Five Mountains in Hunan Province. Surprisingly, it was a young girl who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old. Her hair was an unusual shade of silver, as if melted into pure silver, and she was clearly a swordswoman, as a silver bokken was strapped to her back at an angle.

It was early spring, and the mountain was not flat, nor was the path easily paved, but the girl climbed the shaped ridge with an effortless ease, not breaking a sweat. For a first-timer, the journey would be a death-defying one, but for a girl who had traveled up and down the mountain hundreds of times, it seemed as easy as a morning stroll. It was a strange trick of repetition.

Soon, a fork in the road appeared in front of her. Thankfully, there was a sign. The arrow was pointing to the left, and above it were the three words 'Hyeongsanpa'. The Hyeongsan family, one of the Old Daemun sect, had been deeply rooted here for generations and was considered the foundation of the mountain. But that wasn't where she was headed now. Without hesitation, she took an unmarked path to the right. After walking for a while, she came to a wide, flat plain with sheer cliffs hugging it like a folding screen, and at the foot of those cliffs stood a small, rockfall-proof house. Although it was old, it was well-maintained, and the owner's character was evident in the way he kept it.

It was a stark contrast to the gentrified neighborhood where hundreds of literati lived, but this was the girl's destination.

Approaching the door cautiously, the silver-haired girl said hello in a polite tone.

"Master, this is your disciple, Liu Eun-kyung."

Liu Eun Kyung, that was the name of the silver-haired girl. Apparently, this mansion was where the girl's master resided.

"Kulkulkulk!"

Instead of an answer, she heard a cough from within the cage. It was the sound of her master's cough that she always heard.

"Master?"

The silver-haired girl, Liu Eun-kyung, sent another message. Then she waited. She knew that her master didn't want her to appear disheveled. For that, she needed time to prepare.

It took a while for a response to come back.

"Come in."

"Yes."

Liu Eun Kyung replied politely, then took off her shoes and carefully opened the door.

Inside the room, a very pale woman was seated, well-groomed, and waiting for the girl. A silver sword lay in her lap. Unusually, her hair was the same pale silver as the girl's, which made her pale complexion look even more pale. Her skin was so pale you could almost see her blood. This woman was the silver-haired girl's teacher, Sword Master Yi Yanbing.

"The disciple visits the master."

After another round of coughing, Yi Yak Bing was greeted with a smile.

"Get up."

He rose from his seat, bowed slightly, and knelt before his Master again.

"It's been a while."

"Yes, Master. It's been six months, how have you been?"

"As you can see, it was uneventful. Yes, I heard that your mother was too frightened to let you go out at all, so what brings you here?"

Liu Eun-kyung's house was located on the famous Mugao Street, right in front of Hyung San's house and at a reasonable distance from the Hyung San Temple, so he could come and go as he pleased, but he was not allowed to go out as he pleased due to family obligations.

"This time, I was ordered by the acting head of the family to go to Kanghorando, and I came here to see what happened."

Before he left for Kanghorando, he had a few minutes to spare to visit his teacher, whom he had admired so much. Otherwise, he would have been confined to his home for months at a time.

"Hah, I see you're still calling your mother your 'surrogate' patriarch."

"It's not going to happen in a month or two. People don't change that easily."

Liu Eun Kyung replied with a dark complexion. Knowing his disciple's plight, he wanted to help, but it was a family matter, not something he could do anything about.

"But what happened to Kang Horando?"

Yi Yak Bing was familiar with the area, but he didn't feel like there was much to do in the red-light district.

"Stir…… have you heard of the Five Hundred Thousand Niang Competition being held in Kanghorando this month?"

"Well, I haven't been down the mountain in a while, so I don't know, but that's a pretty unusual name for a contest."

"They say it's called that because the prize is a whopping 500,000 nyang."

"Hehe, 500,000 nyang……. I wonder how many people will go crazy this time."

That kind of money is enough to blow anyone's mind.

"I'm sorry, I've been entered into that competition."

"Is that true?"

I asked in surprise. Ryu Eun Kyung nodded obediently.

"You know what the cylindrical arena is like, don't you? What can you do in such a crucible of madness? It's a fight to the death. It's not like a normal bimu, where they end before they mortally wound each other. You are not yet……."

"…I know."

"Does your mother know about it?"

At that moment, a pained expression appeared on the girl's face.

"……."

"…I see."

Yi Yak Bing's voice was dark and low. Liu Eun Kyung did not speak.

"Is it about the money?"

"He said it was for revenge. They say there's him, the Seven Deadly Sins."

"Is that true in your eyes, or is that just what you want to believe?"

"Probably… the latter."

With a voice full of bitterness, Ryu Eun Kyung replied.

Ryugaen Gaju was currently unavailable. It was because of the juxtaposition. Her mother, who had become the acting head of the household, had kept quiet for several years after learning of his whereabouts, until suddenly, he had rushed to Kanghoran Road to seek revenge. She told her not to set foot in the house again until she had gotten her revenge. It was strange enough for anyone to see.

There was a prize pool of N500,000 behind it.

That's certainly a lot of money for anyone. Inwardly, Liu Eun Kyung had also guessed. It was said that hardship makes a man grow, and the trials of her heart from a young age had made her more mature than other children her age, so she knew that what was on the surface was not everything. She was mature enough to recognize the ugliness behind the surface.

I learned, painfully, that revenge is just a name. But it was a painful realization that came with a dark shadow.

"Your mother is a wicked woman, too, for she is related by blood to her son……."

A rumbling cough interrupted her speech, and with a bitter smile, Ryu Eun Kyung replied.

"I can't help it, I'm destined to be hated."

These were not words you'd expect to hear coming out of the mouth of a nineteen-year-old girl in her prime and full of life.

"Forget about bloodlines and families that do nothing for you. Forget about bloodlines that do nothing but carry heavy burdens. You are the sole heir to my progress, Swordsman Yi Yak Bing, and you have every reason to be proud of that."

Master Yi Yak Bing wanted to give his precarious disciple a firm foothold in life, and Liu Eun Kyung's eyes widened at the thought.

"I will keep that in mind, Master."

No one had ever been so kind to her before, except her master, Yi Yun Bing. He gave her what she hadn't received from her family. In fact, she had wanted this kindness, this warmth, from her own mother.

Ding!

A single tear rolled down Liu Eun Kyung's cheek. Yi Yak Bing's heart ached for the young disciple, and he wordlessly walked over, wrapped his arms around the sobbing disciple's shoulders, and hugged him.

"Don't cry, baby. I have taught you everything. You have a gift, a gift so great that even your own parents are wary. A gift so brilliant that it wouldn't surprise me if you pushed your son aside and became the heir. He called it Nangzhong Zhichu. A sharp awl reveals itself even when it's in a leather pouch! Survive, use all your strength, open your chest, you're worth it."

Believing in his student, and not letting him be disappointed in himself, was all Yi Yun Bing could do now.

Sobbing, Ryu Eun-kyung couldn't hold it in. These were not tears of sadness. It was because she realized that there were still people in this world who cared about her.

Yi Yak Bing stood silently, not saying a word, as his disciple's tears soaked his chest. The tears that had accumulated in the depths of her heart needed to be released before they made her heart fester. She knew that there were some pains that could only be released through tears.

Just as the rainy season would eventually come to an end, there was an end to the amount of tears that had accumulated. Only then did the true Liu Eun Kyung cool his flushed face and speak cautiously in front of his master.

"But there's one problem."

"What is that?"

Yak Bing Lee asked.

"They say the matches are all played in threes, but I don't have anyone to group up with, I'm a loner……."

Even his own family had abandoned him. I might as well have been a full-blooded orphan, so I couldn't trust anyone. I naturally became a loner.

"That's definitely a big problem. Hmm……."

Yi Yun Bing thought for a long time. She wished she could give this unfortunate disciple some tips, but her circle of contacts wasn't very wide. Being a sickly woman, she hadn't had the chance to make many friends. Moreover, most of the people she had met were from the political factions, and the Jianghu Land was a black area, so the bonds of friendship had become faint and faded.

She searched her memory as best she could. Her desperate efforts reached the heavens, and she was able to find one person.

"Yeah, there's only one person I can think of who might be able to help you."

"Really? Who is that?"

Liu Eun Kyung, who hadn't been expecting it, snapped her head up. It was clear that even his master didn't believe him. It was clear that his disbelief had seeped into his bones.

"I've heard that all of the Kowloon Seven Peaks are part of this Heavenly Martial Academy delegation, and I know the children of the Southern Palace Family."

To be precise, she was acquainted with the Namgung Seiju's wife, and had visited and been entertained there on several occasions. She still remembered the two intelligent children she had met.

"Wow, it's great that you have a meal with that Namgung Se, Master!"

Her family was not small, but it was far from being one of the Eight Great Families of Murim.

Yi Yak Bing took out a jade plaque from within his bosom and held it out to Liu Yun. An elegant orchid pattern was embossed on it.

"This is……."

"This is the sign of the master. When you see it, you will recognize that I sent it."

Liu Eun Kyung politely accepted the jade seal with both hands, then bowed and carefully placed it in her bosom.

"I… Master?"

"Why?"

"I was just wondering, what's his name?"

Yi realized his mistake.

"Ah, now that I think about it, you haven't given me a name yet. The one who can help you is called Namgungsang. I've heard that he won a duel against the Amu Goddess Qin Xiaolong, one of the most famous Heavenly Five Swordsmen, and although he fought under restrictions, it must not have been easy. This must be a great description, and it will be of great help to you."

In a gentle voice, Yi Yak Bing said, hoping that this would cheer up her disciple, hoping inwardly that it would. But by then, a new sprout of anxiety had already grown in Liu Eun Kyung's heart.

"But Master, there's a problem."

"You mean there's another problem?"

Ryu Eun Kyung nodded, her complexion darkening.

"What about me? I don't have anything to offer in exchange for help."

He had a very serious look on his face.

"Well, maybe they'll just help you?"

Any male paladin she knew would do it. Moreover, it was a favor from her mother's friend and aunt, and she couldn't refuse. But her apprentice didn't seem to think so.

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.'

Her distrust of the world is already pathologically deep, and she firmly believes that no one will help her unless she pays them something in return.

"Well, there are people like that in the world, and there are people like that in the world, so I don't think we need to jump to conclusions."

Ryu Eun Kyung shook her head vigorously.

"No, that can't be true, humans aren't like that, that's just a character in a story made up to fool naive children and make them feel bad, only fictional characters like that can help others without getting anything in return, real humans aren't like that, humans aren't that naive, this world is rotten!"

The words were so sweet that Liu Eun-kyung denied them with determination. She was afraid of getting hurt by trusting too much.

'Hah, I can't believe this kid's distrust of the world is so deeply rooted…….'

It was clear that there was something wrong with the growth environment.

'Is this kid going to be okay? To be this distrustful and negative about the world……. I hope he doesn't do anything stupid…….'

Yi Yak Bing hoped that this trip would be a good one. May the children of the Southern Palace be a good match for this disciple……. That was all Yi Yak Bing could do for now.

"Goodbye then, Master."

Lee's last words of advice to Ryu Eun-kyung as he leaves the company.

"Get back to your healthy self. Don't let winning and losing hurt your body. Don't risk your life on such trivial things."

It's not worth risking your life for. It was foolish to risk one's life on the mere command of one's mother. What is not, is not. Even if it's from a blood relative.

"Yes, Master. I will keep that in mind."

After bidding farewell to her master Yi Yak Bing, Liu Eun Kyung left for Kanghorando. Not knowing what awaited her. Unaware of what she was about to do to the Namgung Sang. It all stems from her encounter with the woman in black. But that's a story for another time.